Review: We Are Scientists – Business Casual EP (+ full stream)

Summary:

All in all, We Are Scientists have made a surprising comeback with this EP and it leaves me wishing for more. Apparently, a new album will be out next year. To celebrate the release of the EP, the band is heading out on an extensive tour early in 2014.

We Are Scientists are a band that I haven’t payed a lot of attention to in recent years. Rewind a few years and there wasn’t a single night out when you wouldn’t get to hear their hit single Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (I felt really old today when I realised that it was released in 2005). I know that they have released two albums since With Love And Squalor but besides acknowledging their existence, I’ve never listened to them for some reason. In fact I only just learned that Andy Burrows (Razorlight) was in this band for some time.

And still it’s been three years since We Are Scientists, now a duo, released anything. They are now back with the five track Business Casual EP and a full UK and European tour to celebrate its release. The EP was produced by Chris Coady (Beach House, Smith Westerns, Yuck) and Claudius Mittendorfer (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Interpol).

The EP kicks off with Dumb Luck, an upbeat rock song with heavy guitars. It’s a perfectly danceable song but in the end it isn’t particularly memorable.

The second track Return The Favour is a mid tempo pop rock ballad that slowly builds up to a cracking guitar solo. It is followed by Good Answer, a slow semi-acoustic ballad about a woman who married another guy with tongue in cheek lyrics like: “Handing me the Holy Ghost / Still dressed up in your wedding clothes.”

Next up is an acoustic track titled Courage (Demo). As the title suggests it is a demo with just vocals and an acoustic guitar. Apparently, this is a song that they’ve previously premiered live. Although it’s a lovely song I’m not sure why they put it on here as a demo. Is has strong The Get Up Kids vibes and I’m curious wether or not they will release it as a full recording on their forthcoming album.

The cover of Berlin’s Take My Breath Away is the final song and also a highlight on this EP. While it is a beautiful song to begin with, I love the stripped down version and distorted guitar sounds in it.

All in all, We Are Scientists have made a surprising comeback with this EP and it leaves me wishing for more. Apparently, a new album will be out next year. To celebrate the release of the EP, the band is heading out on an extensive tour early in 2014.